China frees Deepak Raheja

May 11, 2013 - Inder Malhotra

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Hyderabad: Deepak Raheja, the city resident who has been stranded in China for the past one-and-a-half years, was released and has reached New Delhi. He and another Indian, Shyam Sundar Agarwal from Mumbai, were charged with not paying traders their dues in the Chinese trading hub of Yiwu.
Bringing relief to their respective families, the return of the two men was announced by external affairs minister Salman Khurshid here on Thursday night after talks with his counterpart Wang Yi of China. China had imposed a travel ban on them. They were not allowed to leave the country as cases against them were being heard in the Chinese courts.
No clean chit yet for Raheja
Deepak Raheja’s brother Kamal Raheja, a businessman said that his brother arrived in Delhi a week ago from Shanghai after China agreed to allow him to leave. “As there are some clearances required, he is still in Delhi but will come to Hyderabad soon. They haven’t given a clean chit yet. We are requesting the government to ensure that he gets a clearedcertificate or proof of innocence,” he said adding that the family thanked Deccan Chronicle for its continuous coverage of the issue.
Raheja has been in China since December 16, 2011. He and Agarwal have denied the charges levelled against them, saying that they were only employees of a trading firm run by a Yemeni national who reportedly fled China without paying the dues.
Raheja was allegedly kidnapped and tortured by goons employed by a trader who demanded Rs 2 crore for his release. They were released after the Indian government intervened.
Raheja said on the phone from Delhi, “I am very happy and immensely thankful to the Indian government for helping me.” Raheja’s wife and two kids are in Dubai.
“The family has had a tough time while Deepak was away. Our father passed away in 2012 and my brother couldn’t attend his last rites,” Kamal Raheja said.

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